In 1935 Veronica Whall wrote about the fundamentals of THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS MADE BY MARY LOWNDES stained glass working: IN ST MARY’S CHURCH, STURMINSTER NEWTON, DORSET by Nancy Armstrong FRSA “….light is our medium and light is our colour (….) We have to mix it with our colours; we have to harness iy; to tie it down; a Mary Lowndes (1857-1929) was the first British woman to stupendous, living, ever-changing force.” work in stained glass, devoting her life to it: she was also a passionate feminist. There are two of her windows in St To see the “Resurrection” window at it’s best would be just Mary’s Church and they are the most important she ever made before noon, when the sun pierces Christ’s Sacred Heart. But as they were dedicated to her mother, Elizabeth Lowndes, and you should blot out the areas of light (“known as glare”) her father, Canon Richard Lowndes, Vicar of St Mary’s Church surrounding it, with your hands, allowing the colours to glow for 36 years. Mary herself never married. and expand to their true value. Mary’s “Nativity” in the West Tower window is of a totally With a stained glass window the artist must control a hugely different style to her window in the South Chapel: the first is powerful energy - light - which will be transmitted through conventional and the second, the “Resurrection” window, is a his medium of expression. He/She has, as it were, to paint pure “Arts and Crafts” design. Naturally they show her with light itself. Contrasting Mary’s windows, with their development as an artist and her life in the craft of stained available light and different colours, makes a fascinating glass. She was very well trained, having attended Slade study. School of Art in London from 1883 and then became a pupil of Henry Holiday (1839-1927) with whom she worked at Mary Lowndes designed and made well over 100 windows cartooning (which is drawing on stout paper as a design of the between the 1880’s and her retirement in the 1920’s. A few same size for a work - i.e. tapestry, mpsaic, stained glass etc. were in collaboration with other artists, such as the illustrator It comes from the Latin “cartone”). Unhappily, the majority of Isobel Gloag (1865-1917) and the painter Emily Ford (1851- Mary’s designs and cartoons were lost or destroyed, and 1930), not only for churches but also for houses and neither of the ones for these windows have survived. commercial premises. Her political life, too, was full: amongst other positions, she was Chairman of the Artists’ Suffrage Then Mary Lowndes established herself for a while with the League, a committee member of the London Society for firm Britten & Gilsen, at whose premises at Southwark Street, Womens’ Suffrage and took a leading role in 1909 in the London, she had a glass-painting studio. It was there that the International Woman Suffrage Alliance Congress in London. “Nativity” window was designed and made. One important characteristic of her windows at this date was the extensive To learn more of her work it is worth studying Peter Cormack’s use of “slab glass” (of uneven thickness and great brilliance splendid catalogue for the Exhibition “Women Stained Glass of colour) which had been developed for manufacture by Artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement” held at the William Britten & Gilsen at the instigation of Edward S. Prior, the Morris Gallery, Waltham Forest, London in 1985-6. He architect. Slab glass is used by Harry Clarke, too, in his Art emphasises Mary’s importance as one of the very first women Deco memorial window in this church. to embark on a full-time career as a stained glass artist and craftswoman. These two windows by her, are possibly the Also working at Southwark Street was Christopher Whall most vulnerable, personal and interesting of all. (1849-1924) who was beginning to establish his position as the leading stained glass artist in the Arts and Crafts movement. Whall’s ideas on design and craftsmanship had a significant influence on Mary’s future work - as seen in the “Resurrection”, made in co-operation with Isobel Gloag. Page 4 Page 1 Later on Mary decided to create the facilities whereby other However, Mary Lowndes worked her perspective with care. artists could work independently on stained glass commissions The design is neat, making full use of the space provided. By without the restrictions of the large commercial studios or the having all but one of the heads looking downwards, she both costly overheads of employing their own team of craftsmen. In creates an artistic tension as well as making the scene appear 1897, in partnership with Alfred J. Drury (former head glazier very personal - as if all the characters were attending not of Britten & Gilsen’s) she set up the firm of Lowndes and only to the Child but also to the observer him/herself. She Drury, Stained Glass Workers, at the rather cramped premises especially stressed the importance of life drawing, feeling it at 35, Park Walk in Chelsea, London. was an antidote to the “ecclesiastical tailors dummy” in late Victorian “trade” windows - such as Harman’s East window. The firm employed a permanent staff of cutters, glaziers, kiln men etc., whose services were at the disposal of any artist The well-balanced colours of her composition are very who wished to carry out a window: he/she could take part in penetrating, especially when the window is seen as the sun is and supervise the whole process of carrying out a design in setting. The reds disappear first, then the pinky-mauves glass - and then pay for the services and materials used out (known as “gold-pink” as the colouring agent in the molten of his/her fees for the commission. From the outset the glass is gold dust - used almost exclusively by Arts and Crafts enterprise was a success and in 1906 the firm was able to artists), finally the greens and blues, leaving the Child and move to purpose-built studios and workshops, known as “The other white areas the last to be seen. As the sun finally sinks Glass House”, in Lettice Street, Fulham, London. the big star in the canopy above still shimmers and trembles, assuring us that “….in the West lies the future” through the It is interesting to note that as well as enabling artists to work birth and life of Jesus Christ. in stained glass along Arts and Crafts lines Mary’s enterprise was a deliberate encouragement to women to take up the The wording at the base of Mary Lowndes’ three-light craft, and from the early 1900’s many women, trained at the “Resurrection” memorial window reads: TO THE GLORY OF Royal College of Art (by Whall), or the London County GOD/ AND IN LOVING MEMORY/ OF RICHARD LOWNDES/ Council’s Central School of Arts and Crafts, came to work at WHO SERVED HIS PARRISH/ IN THE OFFICE AND WORK/ OF Lowndes and Drury’s “Glass House” at Fulham. It is very A PRIEST IN THE/ CHURCH OF GOD FOR / THIRTY SIX satisfying to find that the whole successful story began with YEARS. CALLED/ TO HIS REST OCT 3RD 1898 the small “Nativity” window at St Mary’s Church, Sturminster Newton. It has to be said that the Arts and Crafts movement was strictly a middle class phenomenon for artists with access to a Mary’s father did her no favours when allowing her to put the certain amount of capital in order to finance an independent “Nativity” in the West Tower, newly opened up (in 1884) when career. The “Resurrection” was created a mere six years after the naïve, aisles and transepts received their present seating. the “Nativity” and shows a pure Arts and Crafts design, palette Technically it was an abominable site, It is so high it is difficult of colours and display of detail - all of which has to be more to see. Should you stand beneath the window the angle is too expensive than “trade” windows. The love of detail is also acute: should you stand further into the church you find the testament to the lively process of research, into the attributes glazed doors obscuring the view and when you stand even of saints and historical figures, into authentic representation further down the nave the window is a) too far away to see of costume or architectural and landscape settings, and into either the details or the dedication and b) the cluster of bell flora and fauna associated with particular charters or ropes hang in an organised bunch in front of it. But it was her incidents. very first window and women stained glass artists were hitherto unknown. Nepotism by her father - yes! But also a gamble for both of them. Page 2 Page 3 .